President Obama commutes sentences of 46 nonviolent offenders

Illinois residents may have heard that President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 46 individuals, most of whom were nonviolent drug offenders, on July 13. The White House stated that the majority of those who received a commutation would have already served their sentences had current sentencing laws been in effect at the time of their convictions.

The president has now commuted the sentences of nearly 90 individuals, including eight last year. The president sent to each of the 46 people he granted clemency to saying that he believed that they had the potential to change their lives for the better, and that it was now up to them to take advantage of the opportunity. In a White House blog post addressing the commutations, the counsel to the president noted that federal sentencing guidelines have led to many excessive sentences for nonviolent drug offenders